Natural, real hair wigs are fabricated from donated or harvested human hair, meaning the hair behaves and look as if it were your own. The natural colour, texture and movement found in human hair wigs is hard to replicate in a synthetic wig, often making them the most desired wig type out of the two. They are also able to last longer and allow for more styling and colouring options too, so you can perfectly match your biological hair.
Answering All Your Questions About Real Human Hair Wigs
Choosing a human hair wig requires adequate thought and consideration. If you’re looking to invest in a human hair wig it's vital you understand everything there is to know to ensure sure you’re making the right decision that’s best suited to you.
To make the process a little easier, here we’ve answered the most asked questions about human hair wigs, all in one place.
How Are Human Hair Wigs Made?
Creating a wig from human hair is a painstaking and highly skilled process, and it may take two to three months to make one real human hair wig. First, the human hair must be cleaned and prepared before a wig pattern is developed to ensure a secure fitting and natural look. Next, the edging and crown of the wig are added, and the time-consuming job of attaching individual hairs, or hair tying as it is known, can begin. When the 30-40,000 knots of hair have been tied to the wig base, the wig can be styled, and the process is finished.
You can read more about how human hair wigs are made here.
How Do You Wash a Real Human Hair Wig?
Human hair wigs should be washed and maintained with care and specialised products designed to keep your wig in its best condition for a long time.
How to Wash a Real Human Hair Wig - Step by Step
- Gently brush your wig to ensure there are no knots or tangles through it.
- Wet your wig under lukewarm running water, ensure the water is not too hot. Use a shower or bath tap, ensuring the water runs in the same direction as the wig to avoid knots and tangles. Hold the wig under it until it is wet through. Do not submerge it in a sink as this will also cause the wig to tangle and knot.
- Once the wig is wet through, apply a generous amount of human hair wig shampoo to the crown and top of the wig, and gently work the shampoo through the wig all the way to the ends. Be careful not to rub or massage the wig as this will cause tangles and distort the shape of the hair.
- Rinse the wig with cool water again, ensuring all traces of shampoo are removed. Gently remove any excess water with a light squeeze and press lightly using a towel to soak up and remaining excess water.
- The next step is to use a human hair wig conditioner. Apply the conditioner near the top of the wig and work to the ends, but do not apply the conditioner to the wig base where the hair attaches. Allow the conditioner to soak in for five minutes or so, then run the human hair wig under the tap until all traces of the conditioner have been removed. If necessary, you can run your fingers through the hair to loosen the conditioner, but do not allow the hair to pull or stress under your fingers. Gently remove any excess water with a light squeeze and press lightly using a towel to soak up any remaining excess water as you did with the shampoo.
- Lastly, it is time to dry your human hair wig. To keep your wig in top condition for the longest time, allow your wig to air dry on a wig stand out of direct sunlight. Air drying is the gentlest way to dry the wig, though some real hair wig wearers use warm air sitting dryers. Once the hair is dry, it can be styled, and you are ready to go!
For a more in-depth guide, see our page on how to wash a human hair wig.
How to Curl a Human Hair Wig
Human hair can quickly become damaged by heat, so it’s important to make sure you curl your human hair wig the right way to cause minimal damage.
The good news is that it is possible to curl a human hair wig without using heat; by dampening your wig, or styling while still wet from washing, you can use hair doughnuts, plaiting, and rollers to create luscious curls on all medium to long real human hair wigs.
If you are going to use a heated hair tool such as tongs or irons, we recommend you don’t do this too often. Minimising the application of heat to your wig will help keep it in top condition for longer and reduce damage and splitting.
Be sure to apply human hair wig specific protective products such as serum before you begin and hold your curls in place with hairspray for a long-lasting finish.
You can read more about styling your human hair wig here.
Can You Dye Human Hair Wigs?
Human hair wigs can be dyed or bleached, though they may suffer the usual negative effects of doing so such as drying out and increased breakage. Virgin human hair wigs are better suited compared to Remy hair which has already been chemically treated and may be weaker in structure.
If you are looking to dye your human hair wig, we recommend consulting with a professional hairstylist to avoid ruining and permanently damaging your wig.
How Long Do Human Hair Wigs Last?
One of the benefits of a human hair wig is longevity. With a bit of care and the correct wig maintenance products, a human hair wig can often last for over a year when they aren’t chemically processed and are 100% virgin, whilst synthetic wigs tend to need replacing sooner.
However, it’s worth noting that whilst coloured or processed human hair wigs are still a worthy investment, their lifespan may be shorter than that of their virgin counterparts.
It’s also normal to see to see a little deterioration after a few months of wearing your human hair wig, but wigs with a lace front may deteriorate a little sooner due to the delicacy of the material.
To maximise the life expectancy of your headpiece, take a look at our tips for caring for your real hair wigs below.
How to Care for a Real Human Hair Wig
We always recommend you follow the instructions which arrive with your new human hair wig, however, there are a few basic tips that will help keep your wig in great shape for a long time:
- Only use wig friendly products
- Try to ensure your wig does not tangle
- Wash and brush your human hair wig regularly
- Do not sleep in your wig
- Store your wig on a wig stand and ensure the cap is not stretched
You can see more tips to help care for your real human hair wig here.
Speak to Joseph’s Wigs
We hope this blog has answered your questions however if you still have more, feel free to speak to Stuart or Claire from Joseph’s Wigs who will be more than happy to help with anything you want to know more about or need.
You might also find our blog on the Difference Between Human Hair and Synthetic Wigs useful if you’re struggling to choose between the two wig types.
Browse Joseph’s Wigs Collection of Human Hair Wigs
Joseph’s Wigs proudly supply thousands of ladies with stunning real human hair wigs from leading wig brands around the world. Browse our extensive range of human hair wigs and find the best wig for you or take a look at our human hair wig FAQs for the answers to all your questions.
